The Centre has been extending all the requisite and timely assistance to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for flood relief and rescue efforts and an inter-ministerial central team will soon visit the affected areas in both the States, a senior officer of the Union Home Ministry said on Friday.  The inter-ministerial team will make an on-the-spot assessment of the damage, the officer added.

Additional Secretary in the ome ministry Sanjeev Kumar Jindal said 26 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), eight helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF), three helicopters and one Dornier aircraft of the Indian Navy have been mobilised in Andhra Pradesh for rescue and relief operations.

Seven teams of the NDRF, two helicopters of the IAF have been also been mobilised in Telangana, he added.

“The central government has been extending all the requisite and timely assistance to the state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the relief and rescue efforts,” Jindal said in a statement.

He said on the night of September 1, when flood affected many areas, following a directive of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, additional NDRF teams and IAF helicopters were mobilised to assist the state governments in relief and rescue efforts.

“On the directions of the home minister, a central team of experts has been deputed for Vijaywada (Andhra Pradesh) to make an on-the-spot assessment of flood management, reservoir management, issues of dam safety and making recommendations for immediate relief from the flood,” Jindal said.

The NDRF teams, so far, have rescued 350 people and evacuated about 15,000 others in Andhra Pradesh and have rescued 68 people and evacuated about 3,200 others in Telangana.

The additional secretary said the inter-ministerial central team has already been constituted and it will visit the flood-affected areas in both the States shortly for making an on-the-spot assessment of the damage. The central team will make its recommendations to the home ministry for additional financial assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund.

The IAF and Navy helicopters have carried out 65 sorties and around 71,000 kilograms of food and relief material have been dropped for affected population in Andhra Pradesh.

The director general of the NDRF also visited Andhra Pradesh on September 2-3 to supervise rescue and relief operations, the statement said.

The rains and floods affected several districts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana since weekend while the deluge has claimed 32 lives so far in Andhra Pradesh.